My rat has malocclusion(crooked teeth) How do I trim his teeth?

My baby rat(5weeks old) has two front teeth that grow to the side. I researched this and found it's called malocclusion. On petrats.org it suggests regular teeth trimming but does not say how. Does anyone do this? How do you do this? I think they got pushed to the side when they were still soft because I've had him since he was two days old. I had to push the syringe in his mouth to feed him the formula. Anyway, they are very crooked, very very crooked. And the way they are growing I am fearful they will start to cut into the upper left part of his mouth. He does let me touch them and actually seems to like it when I scrape them with my fingernail when I'm petting him. But I don't think this is enough to wear them down. Any suggestions on something safe I can use to trim them? Thanks!

My rat has malocclusion(crooked teeth) How do I trim his teeth?
People mentioned that his teeth could cut his mouth, but they can do much more damage than that. If left untreated (untrimmed) they could eventually grow into his skull. Many wild rats with malocclusion die from their teeth growing into their skull because they either starve or the teeth eventually reach their brain. This is a very sad truth.





It would be best to go to the vet for the initial trimming. Try to make the experience as easy as possible for the little guy. Ask the vet how you might be able to do this yourself in the future since he will need continual trimmings.





Leave lots of chewable toys in his cage with him. Calcium blocks, salt blocks, Wooden toys. Make sure they are all tough things to chew on and encourage him to chew. This will help with the most of it depending on how much he chews and at what angle.





Good luck!
Reply:If they're that bad, they will have to be trimmed. Bad teeth will keep him from being able to eat properly. On rabbits I use toenail clippers for dogs, the big scissor type. On a small rat I would try cat or small dog sized toenail clippers. If the teeth are apart, do one at a time, if they are close together you have to do both at the same time. You have to be extremely careful not to get them too close to the gum. Try to judge how long they SHOULD be, and make sure you don't go closer. Clipping teeth can crack a tooth and cause it to split upward toward the gum, so unless you have no choice, I wouldn't attempt it until someone that knows how teaches you the proper way to do it. If you can't find a vet that actually knows how to do this, try calling rabbit breeders in your area. They should be happy to clip them for you, and let you watch, so you can do this at home in the future. If the teeth are malformed because of the syringe, there is a minor chance that clipping them will help them fall back into alignment. If it's a genetic problem, then you'll have to do this for the rest of his life so you need to learn how yourself.
Reply:i wish my cat could speak to answer this one !!!
Reply:I had one female rat who developed malocclusion with old age and her teeth started to cut her lower lip and caused an infection. The vet trimmed her teeth, but of course they kept growing back.





I would therefore seek vetinary advise to show you how to clip the teeth and to check your rat is in good health. However, if your rat's teeth are crooked now, I should think that they will always be crooked and will need to be trimmed very regularly. This can be stressful for the rat, and as another person pointed out - the teeth can split and get damaged.





One drastic solution is to have the rat's teeth removed:


http://www.cavyrescue.co.uk/rat-article2...





Again though, I think you should seek medical advice before your rat becomes uncomfortable and unable to eat.
Reply:rat dentist!!!
Reply:I don't recommend doing it yourself. A rat breeder, or similar animal breeder should be able to help you. But there are pictures of healthy and non-healthy teeth in there.





also, offer him some hard foods to chew on until you get them trimmed, it wont fix the problem but it'll keep them from being too sharp, since he cant likely grind them together.





http://www.ratballs.com/RatTails/Tails08...


http://www.ratballs.com/RatTails/Tails08...
Reply:The easiest way I've found is to use cat nail clippers. They are small enough to fit into a rat's mouth, can "wrap" around the tooth, and you don't have to worry so much about accidentally clipping the tongue. I have also used human nail clippers with good results, but prefer the cat clippers as they seem safer.


On another note, rabbit breeders won't necessarily know how to trim the teeth. Malocclusion is often a genetic problem in rabbits, and good breeders don't breed rabbits with this trait, so they won't generally have much experience with it. A vet or a local rat rescue is a better option if you want to have someone show you.
Reply:I dont think your rat needs it's teeth trimmed.


If it seems to be hurting the rat then you should, but if it doesnt, why bother?




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